Measles outbreak in Texas surpasses 600 confirmed cases, officials say
The measles outbreak in Texas has surpassed 600 confirmed cases in 2025, with nearly 30 new infections reported since April 18, the state health department said.
As of April 22, there have been 624 measles cases confirmed in Texas since late January, according to new data released by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The outbreak of the childhood disease is primarily located in the western part of the state.
The latest figure is an increase of 27 cases since April 18, the state health department announced. Of the 624 cases, a total of 64 people have been hospitalized, while two unvaccinated children with no underlying health conditions have died, including an 8-year-old girl.
The majority of confirmed cases occurred in children and teenagers, with 186 cases reported in children 4 years old or under and 236 cases reported in patients between 5 and 17 years old, according to the state health department.
"Less than two percent, or fewer than 10 of the confirmed cases, are estimated to be actively infectious since their rash onset date was less than a week ago," the state health department said in a news update on its website. "Individuals are infectious four days prior to and four days after rash onset."
The designated outbreak area with ongoing measles transmission in Texas currently includes 10 counties: Cochran, Dallam, Dawson, Gaines, Garza, Lynn, Lamar, Lubbock, Terry, and Yoakum. Cases in Gaines County – the center of the outbreak – rose to 386 from 371 reported on April 18, according to the state health department.
In New Mexico, which borders Texas, the state's health department reported 65 cases on April 22, up by two cases from its last update. Most of New Mexico's cases are from Lea County, adjacent to Gaines County in Texas.
"Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities," the Texas health department has warned.
Dr. David Sugerman, from the Division of Viral Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said earlier that the agency had deployed 22 personnel to Texas to respond to the outbreak and provide on-site technical assistance from March 4 through April 15.
U.S. reaches grim milestone in 2025 measles outbreak
Sugerman previously said the United States could lose its measles elimination status if the cases in the outbreaks continue to spread past Jan. 20, 2026.
As of April 18, the CDC reported a total of 800 measles cases across at least 24 states. With only four months into the year, the country’s current outbreaks have eclipsed the 285 measles cases reported in 2024.
Of the 800 cases, 31% of cases occurred in patients under 5, while 38% were reported in those between 5 and 19, according to the CDC. The agency also reported that 85 patients have been hospitalized, including 47 patients who were under 5.
Nationwide, there have been 10 outbreaks, which are defined as three or more related cases, reported in 2025, the CDC said. Ninety-four percent of confirmed cases, 751 out of 800, are "outbreak-associated," according to the agency.
The agency also noted that 96% of the country's measles cases were in patients who either had not been vaccinated or had an unknown status.
Best protection against measles is the MMR vaccine
Measles is "highly contagious" and can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes, the CDC said. People can also be infected by breathing contaminated air, where it remains infectious for up to two hours, or by touching their mouth, eyes, or nose after contact with a contaminated surface.
Measles symptoms typically appear seven to 14 days after contact with the virus and commonly include high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes, according to the CDC. A measles rash appears three to five days after the onset of the first symptoms.
Complications from measles include ear infections, hearing loss, pneumonia, croup, diarrhea, blindness, and swelling of the brain, the CDC said. Even in healthy children, measles can cause serious illness and death. In unvaccinated pregnant women, measles may cause premature birth or a low-birthweight baby.
The CDC estimates that about 1 in 5 unvaccinated people in the U.S. who get measles will need hospitalization. Health experts have underscored that the best protection against the disease is the vaccine, either given alone or as part of a measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) shot or a measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccine.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide 97% protection against the virus, according to the CDC. Children typically first receive the vaccine when they are 12 to 15 months old and again at age 4 to 6 years.
Adults born before 1957 are presumed to have acquired immunity as they most likely had measles during childhood, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez, Paste BN; Reuters